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Green Technology Diffusion: A Post-Mortem Analysis of the Eco-Patent Commons

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  • Jorge L. Contreras
  • Bronwyn H. Hall
  • Christian Helmers

Abstract

We revisit the effect of the “Eco-Patent Commons” (EcoPC) on the diffusion of patented environmentally friendly technologies following its discontinuation in 2016, using both participant survey and data analytic evidence. Established in January 2008 by several large multinational companies, the not-for-profit initiative provided royalty-free access to 248 patents covering 94 “green” inventions. Hall and Helmers (2013) suggested that the patents pledged to the commons had the potential to encourage the diffusion of valuable environmentally friendly technologies. Our updated results now show that the commons did not increase the diffusion of pledged inventions, and that the EcoPC suffered from several structural and organizational issues. Our findings have implications for the effectiveness of patent commons in enabling the diffusion of patented technologies more broadly.

Suggested Citation

  • Jorge L. Contreras & Bronwyn H. Hall & Christian Helmers, 2018. "Green Technology Diffusion: A Post-Mortem Analysis of the Eco-Patent Commons," NBER Working Papers 25271, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:25271
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Maria Jose Abud & Carsten Fink & Bronwyn Hall & Christian Helmers, 2013. "The use of intellectual property in Chile," WIPO Economic Research Working Papers 11, World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division.
    2. Hall, Bronwyn H. & Helmers, Christian, 2019. "The impact of international patent systems: Evidence from accession to the European Patent Convention," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    3. Wen Wen & Marco Ceccagnoli & Chris Forman, 2013. "Patent Commons, Thickets, and Open Source Software Entry by Start-Up Firms," NBER Working Papers 19394, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Bronwyn H. Hall & Adam B. Jaffe & Manuel Trajtenberg, 2001. "The NBER Patent Citation Data File: Lessons, Insights and Methodological Tools," NBER Working Papers 8498, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Adam Jaffe & Manuel Trajtenberg, 1999. "International Knowledge Flows: Evidence From Patent Citations," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1-2), pages 105-136.
    6. Sharon Belenzon, 2006. "Knowledge Flow and Sequential Innovation: Implications for Technology Diffusion, R&D and Market Value," CEP Discussion Papers dp0721, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    7. Belenzon, Sharon, 2006. "Knowledge flow and sequential innovation: implications for technology diffusion, r&d and market value," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 19864, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
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    Cited by:

    1. Carolina Castaldi, 2021. "Sustainable innovation and intellectual property rights: friends, foes or perfect strangers?," LEM Papers Series 2021/11, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    2. Bustamante, Juana & Oughton, Christine & Pesque-Cela, Vanesa & Tobin, Damian, 2023. "Resolving the patents paradox in the era of COVID-19 and climate change: Towards a patents taxonomy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(9).
    3. Roberto Hernández-Chea & Pratheeba Vimalnath & Nancy Bocken & Frank Tietze & Elisabeth Eppinger, 2020. "Integrating Intellectual Property and Sustainable Business Models: The SBM-IP Canvas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-30, October.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital
    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation

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